Many eukaryotic cells are enveloped by an extracellular matrix of proteins that provide structural support, cell and tissue identity, and autocrine, paracrine and juxtacrine properties for the cell within its environment (McGowan, S. E. (1992) FASEB J. 6:2895-2904). The diverse biochemistry of extracellular matrix proteins (ECMP) is indicative of the many, often overlapping, roles that are attributed to each distinct molecule (cf. Grant, D. S. and Kleinman, H. K. (1997) E.X.S. 79:317-333). Whilst a great number of ECMPs have been isolated, it still remains unclear how the majority interact with other ECMPs or with molecules residing within the cell membrane. Many ECMPs have been associated with tissue growth and cell proliferation, others with tissue or cell differentiation, and yet others with cell death (cf. Taipale, J. and Keski-Oja, J. (1997) FASEB J. 11:51-59; Eleftheriou, C. S. et al. (1991) Mutat. Res. 256:127-138).
For example, the process of embryonic bone formation involves the creation of an extracellular matrix that mineralizes during the course of tissue maturation. During the life of an individual, this matrix is subject to constant remodeling, through the combined actions of osteoblasts (which form mineralized bone) and osteoclasts (which resorb bone). The balance of ECMP composition, and the resulting bone structure, may be perturbed by biochemical changes that result from congenital, epigenetic, or infectious diseases (Francomano, C. A. et al. (1996) Curr. Opin. Genet. Dev. 6:301-308).
ECMPs also act as important mediators and regulators during the inflammatory response. Leukocytes are primed for inflammatory mediator and cytokine production by binding to ECMPs during extravasation (Pakianathan, D. R. (1995) J. Leukoc. Biol. 57:699-702). Deposition of ECMPs is also triggered by inflammation in response to lung injury (Roman, J. (1996) Immunol. Res. 15:163-178). Although the function of newly deposited matrices in injured lungs is unknown, their ability to affect the migration, proliferation, differentiation, and activation state of cells in vitro suggested an important role in the initiation and maintenance of the inflammatory response in vivo (Roman, supra)
Some examples of recently identified ECMPs which regulate cellular and tissue differentiation are S1-5 and Ecml. S1-5 mRNA is overexpressed both in senescent human fibroblasts established from a subject with Werner syndrome of premature ageing and in growth-arrested normal human fibroblasts (Lecka-Czernik, B. et al. (1995) Mol. Cell. Biol. 15:120-128). The MRNA encodes a 387 amino acid residue protein containing five epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domains. These domains matched the EGF tandem repeat consensus within several known extracellular proteins that promote cell growth, development, and cell signaling. The EGF tandem repeat is characterized by a regular distribution of single cysteines. As occurs with other members of the EGF-like family, the S1-5 gene product may represent a negative and/or positive factor whose ultimate activity is modulated by the cell environment (Lecka-Czernik, supra).
Murine Ecm1 encodes a 559 residue protein that has been localized to one genetic locus associated with developmental disorders of the skin (Bhalerao, J. et al. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270:16385-16394). During embryonic development, the gene is predominantly expressed in the form of splice variants in skin or cartilage tissue. Expression of the Ecm1 gene also peaks during the late, pre-confluence phase of the murine osteogenic cell line, MN7, which proliferates and differentiates in vitro forming a mineralized matrix (Bhalerao, supra). The murine Ecm1 gene has been localized by genetic mapping to mouse chromosome 3, a region homologous to that of human chromosome 1q21 (Bhalerao, supra). The molecular structure of the predicted protein is characterized by a pair of domains which share internal homology, and by a regular distribution of single cysteines and cysteine doublets. The latter arrangement was predicted to generate characteristic `double-loop` proteins in the serum albumin family of proteins (Soltysik-Espanola, M. et al. (1994) Dev. Biol. 165:73-85). These double-loop structures are involved in important ligand-binding functions (Kragh-Hansen, U. (1990) Danish Med. Bull. 37:57-84).
The discovery of new human extracellular matrix proteins and the polynucleotides encoding them satisfies a need in the art by providing new compositions which are useful in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cancer and immune disorders.